Foundry machines



July 2, 1963 PERAS FOUNDRY MACHINES Filed June 26, 1961 United States Patent Ofice 3,095,620 FOUNDRY MACHINES Lucien Pras, Billancourt, France, assignor to Regie Nationale des Usines Renault, Billancourt, Seine, France Filed June 26, 1961, Ser. No. 119,672 Claims priority, application France July 26, 1960 1 Claim. (Cl. 22-64) This invention relates in general to foundry machines and has specific reference to improvements in machines of this character with a view to permit the automatic casting by mould transfer, this invention being applicable more particularly but not exclusively to the centrifugal casting of engine cylinders for the automobile industry.

It is the object of this invention to provide devices for rendering automatic the operation of the circuit or line of small metal ladles feeding molten metal to the centrifugal casting units, and more particularly to provide an improved disposal of the overhead supports from which the metal ladles are suspended.

This invention is further concerned with certain details in connection with the practical embodiment thereof, which will be set forth presently.

Reference will now be made to the attached drawing illustrating diagrammatically by way of example a typical embodiment of the invention. In the drawing:

FIGURE 1 is a schematic plan view of the installation, and

FIGURE 2 is an elevational view showing an overhead ladle support constructed according to the teachings of this invention.

Referring to the drawing, the reference numeral 12, FIG. 1,. designates the circuit along which the unitary ladles are driven automatically on the auxiliary conveyor, the drive being obtained through a magnetic chain; this circuit comprises a by-pass section 12. The drive is applied continuously along the sections AB and CA of the circuit 12. The small ladles are filled at section A, the overhead ladle supports being disengaged automatically from the magnetic chain as they arrive at this station A to permit the filling of the relevant ladle, and upon completion of this filling operation the operator controlling same reconnects the ladle to the magnetic chain. At station B the ladles are released from the magnetic chain and at station C they are taken again by this chain. The purpose of the by-pass section (12 is to prevent the over-head supports from being carried along during the filling of the centrifugal casting machines 2.

Each overhead support arriving at station B is held against motion (see FIG. 2) by the frictional engagement produced between a roller 204 mounted on the lower end of the support arm 152 and a pair of fixed leaf springs 202, 203. When a centrifugal casting machine 2 carried along by the rotary platform 1 registers with the overhead support, an arm 159 mounted on this platform engages a roller 156 mounted on an arm 156 secured on the overhead support so as to carry along this support; simultaneously, a pin 205 rigid with this arm 156' engages a corresponding recess formed in the centrifugal casting machine to center the overhead support in relation thereto.

Each overhead support is suspended from twin rollers engaging corresponding rails 150. It carries a vertically displaceable rod 206 rigid with a sliding bracket 209 carry- 3,095,620 Patented July 2, 1963 ing in turn a set of rollers 207 engaging vertical guide rails 208 rigid with the support arm 152. The bracket 209 carries a horizontal stub shaft 210 perpendicular to the axes of rollers 207 and provided with a roller 211, as shown. During the travel of the overhead support unit along the bypass section 12 of the circuit this roller 211 engages a movable cam 212 carried by a rod 213 displaceable Vertically under the control of a stationary unit comprising an electromotor 214, a reducing gear 215, an electromagnetic coupling 21-6 and rack means 217.

The assembly comprising the bracket 209 and rod 206 is lifted when the electromagnetic coupling 216 is energized under the control of a switch (not shown) actuated by a ramp 221 rigid with the overhead support unit. During this movement the arm 206 rises and rotates the ladle 161 connected thereto, so that the ladle content is discharged into the chute 163 associated with the centrifugal casting machine. The ladle 161 pivots about horizontal trunnions carried by a forked support 154 rigid with the arm 152. A hand lever 218 is also provided for rocking the ladle 161 and a bolt consisting of a pin 219 is engageable in a notch formed in the peripheral edge of a disk 220 rigid with the ladle 161, upon completion of the tipping movement thereof, for locking the ladle in its pouring position and facilitate the cleaning of the ladle after the casting operation.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to a single form of embodiment thereof, it will be readily understood that, without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the invention that others can by applying current knowledge readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention and, therefore, such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalence of the following claim.

I claim:

A foundry installation for filling molds continuously rotated on a horizontal platform from molten metal ladle devices carried by a continuously driven conveyor systern comprising a rotating circular platform, a plurality of circumferentially spaced molds carried thereon, a ladle conveyor system including an endless driven conveyor circuit, a plurality of ladle pouring devices carried on said conveyor circuit and movable around said circuit, a bypass conveyor circuit disposed between two points of said endless circuit and adjacent said platform, with the opposite ends of said bypass circuit intersecting said endless circuit at said points, said by-pass circuit comprising a casting station between said points, said bypass circuit provided with spaced horizontal rails, the ladle device including rollers carried on said rails, a main vertical frame member depending from said rollers, forks on the lower end of said frame member, trunnion members carried on said forks, a molten metal ladle carried by said trunnion members, upset means on said frame member for upturning said ladle to pour metal into a mold, a horizontal driven arm member on said frame member extending toward said platform with a roller on its outer end, a horizontal arm drive member on said platform extending toward said arm roller for engaging it to rrrove said ladle device along said by-pass circuit, recess means on said platform, pin means on said horizontal arm driven member adapted to project into said recess means to center the ladle with respect to a mold at said casting station, friction brake means disposed along said by-pass circuit, roller means on the bottom of said frame member for engaging said friction brake means to stop movement of a ladle device until said horizontal arm drive member engages said arm driven member, and motor driven cam means on said by-pass circuit disposed thereon at said casting station to operate said upset means to upturn a ladle and pour its contents into a mold when said ladle and a mold on said platform come into alignment with each other at said casting station, and ramp means on said frame member to actuate said motor driven cam means when a ladle arrives at said casting station.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

